Blind Birthdates
by dark-night-sky
Summary: When dragged along to a blind speed dating event, Ginny meets someone who she begins to really like, keeping in contact with them after the event, but without knowing who they are. If Hannah's reaction is anything to go by, she really should've asked. Oneshot Zanny.


**A/N: **HAPPY BIRTHDAY STARKID MCFLY I LOVE YOU VERY MUCHLY AND WILL ONE DAY GIVE YOU YOUR ZANNY T-SHIRT FOR YOUR BIRTHDAY!

xXx

**Blind Birthdates**

It was her twenty first birthday. The big one, apparently, though she couldn't quite see why. But any reason to go out partying was a good one, as far as she was concerned. Have a nice lunch with the family, go home and have a nap and a bath, then get ready for a night out on the town. Really, there was nothing complicated about that. It was as simple as simple could get. It was what she did pretty much every year on her birthday. Except this birthday was different, because it was 'the big one'. Apparently.

"Come on, Ginny! Trust us. When have we ever let you down?" Hannah asked, confident smile on her face. Ginny and Parvati both gave her disbelieving looks. "Okay no that's all a matter of opinion-Pav, you're supposed to be on my side!"

"Sorry, Han, but not even I can ignore Christmas two years ago."

Hannah huffed, turning to Luna. "You agree with me, right Luna?"

Luna nodded. "Oh yes. Your heart's always in the right place."

"That's not quite-it is. Thank you," Hannah turned back to the topic at hand. "We're all going to go, it'll be a group thing."

Ginny scowled. "Does Neville know you're going to a blind-date-thing?"

"Course, I told him. He trusts me. Unlike you."

"How is this not the worst idea ever, and the worst way to spend my birthday?"

"Hannah's just tired of you moping about our flat, as am I," Parvati started. "We agreed, all three of us, that it would be best for you to get out and play the field a little bit."

"I play the field!"

Parvati scoffed. Hannah tried a more sympathetic approach. "We're more talking about something a little long-term, rather than blokes you meet in the bar. We thought maybe extending the fishing pool would help."

Ginny turned to Luna. Her best friend and last hope. "You're not with them, are you?"

A simple nod.

The redhead groaned, flopping back on the couch. "I refuse to leave the house."

"Come on, Gin, it'll be fun! You don't have to find a date!" Hannah grinned hopefully. "Just go and browse."

"Er, no, she has to find a date."

Hannah glared at Parvati.

"At least go home with a guy's address, okay?"

Ginny rubbed her temples. "You're not going to stop, are you?"

"Never."

"Fine, I'll try this…whatever it is."

"It's like speed dating, but in the dark!" Hannah was back on the excited train. "It'll be fun! You don't get to see who the person you're dating is, but if you like each other you can agree to turn the lights on, which is like agreeing to go home with each other. You could find a date for this evening!"

"Let's just get it over with," Ginny muttered. "Where is it?"

Parvati and Hannah exchanged glances.

"What?"

"You're not going dressed like that, are you?" Parvati asked. "You look like a fashion disaster."

"We're going dating _in the dark_, who gives a toss?"

"What if you meet someone you like?"

Ginny gave a loud, emphasised, entirely unimpressed groan that lasted all the way to her bedroom.

"I'd recommend something more feminine!" Hannah called.

xXx

It was a bar that they found themselves in, linked arm in arm, Parvati and Hannah getting quite giggly about the whole thing. Though bars, swanky as this one was, served alcohol, even if it was probably going to be expensive. She tried to convince the girls to buy her drinks in compensation as a present, but they were apparently buying the entry fees. Which Ginny responded with a rant about how these things shouldn't have to charge for this kind of shit.

"You take your seats, and when the time comes to rotate, the men's chairs will switch," the woman in charge explained. "Those orientated towards same sex relationships should follow the pink dots towards the next room, where you will be catered to in the same fashion. You each have five minutes with a partner before they change. You can both opt to turn the lights on should you want to leave with that person. Voices will be charmed to be unrecognisable, to make sure you can't try and figure out who you're with. The session will last roughly an hour. Are there any questions?"

Ginny really wanted to ask about that alcohol. The look she was given by Hannah told her she wasn't allowed.

"Right, take your places, and we'll get started immediately!"

Finding a seat was fairly easy. Ginny was actually surprised at how many people were there. Luna disappeared into the next room after Parvati informed them all that should anyone not be outside five minutes after it ended, it was assumed they'd found a date and had gone home. Ginny questioned whether or not that meant if she left early she had to wait outside for them to finish. Apparently that wasn't allowed.

Apparently.

And just like that it started. Ginny sat and talked with men, five minutes for each. After getting through what the other person did, and what they liked to do in their free time, which took about a minute or two, there was a slightly awkward three minute fumble and pause. It was incredibly difficult to make conversations with someone, especially when you weren't sharing names. It made her worry about what she could share. This was not fun.

"So, what do you do for a living?" Ginny asked the person who was sat opposite her. This was really awkward. Still.

"I'm a Curse Breaker, and yourself?"

Could she say she played Quidditch? Surely it was fine if they didn't know who she was exactly. "I play Quidditch. My brother's a Curse Breaker."

"Cool."

Well that lasted long. "Do you like Curse Breaking?"

"Oh, yes. And I'm good at it. Why, I was called to Egypt on a special assignment because the Curse Breaker who was sent there couldn't break the curse of one object, but they knew I would be able to."

Oh sweet Merlin someone save her.

"And I could, of course, it was simple really once you got down to it…"

Just because her brother was one, didn't mean she understood the world of Curse Breaking.

"…but of course, when that happened, I was fully prepared. Preparation is key in these kinds of jobs…"

Did she honestly care? Maybe she should just agree to go with him because she needed to leave. Was she this desperate though?

"…I've handled worse, of course, these muscles aren't just for show-!"

"Please stop talking."

An uncomfortable silence fell over them both. Ginny let out a sign of relief.

"Thank you."

The bell had never sounded so sweet.

She didn't give the other person a chance to speak this time. As soon as she heard him sit down, she jumped on it. "Just so you know, the last three guys who have been in that seat only had themselves to talk about, so if you're the same, we can save each other a lot of pain by not talking at all."

"Well, aren't you a barrel of sunshine?" was the sarcastic reply. "I take it you've had fun so far."

Ginny sighed, leaning back in her chair. "Don't even get me started."

"No, go on. Have your chance to talk about yourself for a while. It'll make me feel better when I start talking about how amazing I am in a couple minutes."

She couldn't stop herself from chuckling at that. "Well, if you must know…"

"Yes, I most certainly must."

"The last man who came to see me was a Curse Breaker," Ginny explained, putting on a mock-gossipy voice. "And oh my goodness couldn't he just do everything ever!"

"No way."

"Yes! And he…oh gosh he listed off a bunch of stuff he'd done but I can't for the life of me remember any of it to mock."

"Oh, now I'm upset! I was so looking forward to the mocking, it's my favourite part!" she smiled at his words. "Though apparently he could do everything ever apart from be remember-able."

"I'm not sure I'll forget him any time soon."

"Let's see if I can help you then. Need to step up my annoyance levels a bit."

"Clearly."

"Let's see, talking about myself. Well, everyone so far seems to want to know what I do, which I unfortunately can't divulge else I'll have to kill you."

"Sounds exciting."

"And my age, well, let's just say I'm about ninety."

"Bullshit."

He continued, but Ginny could hear the amusement in his voice. "I have seven children and fourteen grandkids, all of whom I want to burn in a cauldron of boiling hot coal."

"Coal isn't a liquid."

"I'm talking about me! Don't interrupt."

"I'll interrupt all I like, thank you," maybe this idea wasn't as bad as she thought it was.

"We only have five minutes, how are we going to get everything said in that time if you keep interrupting me?"

"Well," she drawled, stretching her hands across the table. "We could have longer than five minutes."

There was a short pause. "You want to turn the light on?"

Did she? Was she ready to see who this person was? "No. But if you give me your address, I can owl you."

"And why don't I get your address?"

A smirk tugged at her lips. "If I told you that I'd have to kill you."

"Can't argue with that logic," he agreed, before she felt his hands brush against hers. "Just so I know, the most important question of all, why on earth are you here?"

"Not by choice. My friends thought it would be good for me."

She felt the point of a wand tip on her hand, followed by the tingling sensation of a spell.

"Glad to hear it," he said. "There's at least one thing we have in common, even if it's not our age or number of children."

"Oh no, I'm actually twelve."

"Mm, just how I like it."

She let out a slightly surprised laugh. "You're despicable."

"Not despicable enough."

"Seriously, how old are you?" Ginny asked.

"In my twenties. Oh come on I'm supposed to be Mr Mysterious here. You can have everything you want to know about me from those owls."

"We're both in our twenties then. That's good enough for me."

"Damn, here I was hoping you were actually twelve."

Just as she started laughing again it was cut off by the ding of a bell, feeling disappointment flow through her as the chairs moved automatically. It was too short. No way that was five minutes. And they didn't even get a chance to say goodbye. Maybe she should've turned on the light.

"So, would you describe yourself as good looking?"

Ginny groaned, sinking down in her seat. "No, I'm hugely obese."

"Oh. Really?"

"Just shush, okay? No one cares."

Ugh. This was terrible. She definitely should've turned the light on.

Time dragged on before the lady who was in charge spoke again, the man who she was sat opposite this time not too bad. Though not nearly as funny as her mystery man. The men's chairs scraped, moving about as she sat and waited. The blindness spell was lifted, and the first thing Ginny did was look down at her hand, holding her breath. What if it wasn't there? What if he'd casted a different spell as a trick? What if he'd changed his mind?

"What's that?"

Ginny flustered, looking up to see Parvati standing in front of her. "Nothing! Just…an address."

The squeal the girl let out had her rolling her eyes. "I knew this was a good plan!"

"No, it wasn't, I've just had to sit through fifty five minutes to drivel and mostly self-obsessed men."

"Except those five minutes where you got an address, apparently."

Apparently.

"Come on, let's go outside and find the others," Ginny suggested, standing and taking Parvati's arm. The woman started talking immediately, babbling on about the men she'd met. Ginny had learnt over the years that Parvati's dates seemed very hit or miss, and more often miss.

When they got outside, there stood Hannah and Luna, along with a new girl. Hannah looked up, eagerness all over her face. "You will never guess-!"

Parvati cut her off before she could finish. "Ginny got an address!"

"What?"

"She did, show her!"

Ginny rolled her eyes, attempting to look nonchalant as she raised her hand. "It's just an address. I might never write to him."

"You have to! Tell us about him."

"Can't we focus on Luna for a moment and the new girl?"

Luna shook her head, gesturing down the street. "We were about to go have coffee. I'll see you this evening though. I wanted to make sure it went well."

Ginny smiled softly. "Thanks."

"Have fun Luna!" Parvati said, before turning back to Ginny. "Tell us!"

The girls left, leaving Ginny at the hands of Hannah and Parvati, though Hannah seemed a bit stunned. "I don't know what there is to tell, really. We just made a few jokes about the whole thing, I only really know that he's in his twenties."

"Trust you to get on with someone mocking it. I don't think I found someone like that."

"He turned the lights on with me," Hannah muttered quietly. Ginny and Parvati stared at her a few moments before she seemed to snap out of her trance. "I-I started off each person telling them I was spoken for, and just there helping a friend. And he said how he'd already given his address to someone, and didn't really want to stick around, so we agreed to turn the lights on and leave."

Ginny felt a smile tug at her lips.

"Aw, how sweet!" Parvati cooed. "He didn't go home with another girl! He left because he knew you were the one."

"Don't push it," the redhead turned back to Hannah. "You were going to say something?"

"What?"

"When we first came out."

"Oh!" Hannah flustered. "Just that Luna found someone. She's really nice, agreed to wait with Luna for us to finish so she could say goodbye."

"That is really nice."

"It is."

Parvati linked arms with both girls, dragging them down the street. "Come on then, we still have a good few hours before we need to get home and get ready. Let's go shopping!"

"I still want my nice relaxing birthday bath."

"You'll get it, you'll get it. I have factored that into the timing."

Maybe the day wasn't turning out to be too bad.

xXx

"Pav, are you ready yet?!" Ginny called, frown on her face. "We don't have forever you know!"

"I'm almost ready!"

The redhead rubbed her temples. "It always takes her forever."

Next to her stood Hannah and Luna, all dressed up and ready to go, nattering about how Luna's date went.

"Okay, okay, I'm ready! Let's go," Parvati rushed out her room, dressed immaculately. The girls split into pairs before apparating to their destination. There were varying levels of excitement when they saw the familiar building.

"Three Broomsticks, here we are!"

"I can't believe you choose this place for your birthday."

"Pubs are my life."

"I thought that was Quidditch."

Ginny snorted. "Please, I'd never survive without pubs. What do you take me for?"

Parvati raised a brow. "An alcoholic."

She ignored that one.

When they got inside, Hannah spotted the others immediately, as Neville was amongst them. She rushed over, wrapping him into a large hug. He didn't really seem to mind.

"Happy birthday, Ginny," Neville greeted her and gave her a hug. "Has it been good so far?"

"Minus the surprise of dragging me to speed dating?" she shot Hannah a look. "Yes, it's been pretty good."

"Yeah, I heard about that. Sorry."

"It's fine, she got an address," Parvati told him, leaning over her shoulder. "Didn't you, Gin-Gin?"

"Speaking of gin, I'm going to get myself a drink. Would anyone else like one?"

"Don't be silly! It's your birthday," Hannah said with a grin. "I'll get you one. Come, Nev, let's go get drinks for Ginny and my other housemates. Luna, do you want to come?"

The blonde girl nodded, following Hannah.

Neville nodded, stopping only for a moment to tell Ginny something. "By the way, Ernie's brought a guest. Thought I should probably warn you."

The look on her face said it all. "Really? Can't they be without each other for like, five seconds?"

This was where Hannah usually tried standing up for the person in question. This time she said nothing.

"Hey, don't shoot the messenger. He seems in a pretty good mood."

"Is that a good thing or a bad thing?"

Parvati rolled her eyes. "Stop whining about Smith and go sit down. I'm sure he'll leave you alone if you ignore him."

Ginny looked to Luna for support.

"Pav's right, and if he doesn't, I'll distract him."

"You better."

They got to the table, greetings coming immediately. Hermione jumped to her feet in seconds, pulling Ginny into a large hug. Others followed, and she did do her best at ignoring the few who didn't. Because one of them was _Zacharias Smith_. And she did not want to make eye contact with Zacharias Smith. It only ever ended in tears. He was Ernie and Hannah's friend, and somehow had managed to make Neville come to like him, along with Parvati. Her family, however, held grudges like she did, so at least she could count on Ron to not betray her.

"Did you enjoy your day?" Hermione asked as they were all settled. A glance out the corner of her eye told her that he was sat at the opposite end of the table.

"Yeah, I did. Though Parvati and Hannah dragged me speed dating."

Hermione was trying not to laugh, she could tell. "And how did that go?"

"Just how you'd imagine it, really."

Parvati huffed, nudging Ginny in the side. "Stop lying to people! You got an address!"

"You did?"

"Yes, I did. One out of a whole host of men does not make it successful though. The majority of the time was spent in awkward silences and-!"

"Listening to self-obsessed men talk about themselves, blah, blah, blah," Parvati rolled her eyes. "I still think it was successful."

"It was successful for me," Luna said softly, arriving at the table with a drink for herself and the Indian girl.

"It was, thank you, Luna," Parvati took her glass. "See, successful."

"Yeah, yeah, whatever," Ginny turned to Hermione again. "Not that I didn't see you at lunch, but how's the rest of your day been?"

"Oh, you know, the same."

Parvati got her gossipy face on. "How was your honeymoon?"

Hermione grinned. "It was really nice. France is amazing."

"You went around Europe, didn't you?"

"We did!"

As they started in a conversation about Hermione's trip around Europe, Neville and Hannah returned, placing the first of many drinks in front of Ginny.

This was going to be fine. She'd ignored Smith before. She could do it again.

About seven drinks later, all of which were bought for her, Ginny finally stood, refusing to accept another free one. As she felt the alcohol rush around her body from standing for the first time, she was thankful she wasn't a lightweight.

"What does everyone want?"

Different drinks were shouted out to her at the same time.

"Fuck it, I'm just going to buy four pitchers. Of my choice."

There was a mixture of joy and displeasure at that announcement.

She headed towards the bar, taking her time in deciding what she wanted. When she did, and four pitchers were placed in front of her, she heard a voice behind her, nearly scaring her out her skin.

"You need help there?"

Ginny spun round, eyes wide. "Smith!"

The blond stood tall, raising a single brow, before casting levitation charms on the glasses. All ten of them.

"I trust you can handle the drinks, can't you?"

She scowled, doing the same thing. "Fine, thank you."

"Good."

"Is there any reason why you're helping me?"

"Aren't you supposed to be nice to the birthday girl?"

"Yeah."

Smith shrugged. "There you have it."

Ginny narrowed her eyes, walking back to the table. "Still weird."

"Maybe I just want to make you uncomfortable. It certainly seems to be working."

"Asshole."

"Mature."

She put on a smile when they arrived back at the table, placing the pitchers along the length so everyone could reach one. Within moments they were both sat down again, pouring drinks and laughing away.

She turned to give Hannah a drink, to find the girl was giving her a funny look.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing," Hannah mumbled, in a similar trance to what she had been when Ginny had left the speed dating earlier that day. "Thanks."

She was quickly distracted by something else. And her own glass.

xXx

She started owling the mystery man, who still refused to share his name. Though in all fairness, she refused to share hers too. To him, she became Red, not creative but vague enough that he didn't know who she was. To her, he became Professor, seeing as she knew that was what he did, though she didn't know which subject he taught. Parvati had tried to get her to collect a list of the Professors at Hogwarts, but she'd refused, saying she wasn't ready to know who he was.

She liked the vagueness, the mystery. Not knowing exactly who this person was. She didn't want to know.

Hannah acted less weird about it as time went on. For some reason whenever it was mentioned she got a bit skittish about it. Luna suggested it was because she knew who the person was, or that she disapproved of Ginny not knowing. After all, if she didn't know who it was, how did she know they were telling the truth?

Her argument to that was that she had his address. She was in control of the owls. He would just reply using her owl. He didn't know where she lived, so she was safe enough.

Of course, Hannah hadn't completely stopped acting weird. There was a new development. One that insisted she spent more time with her former classmates. And invited them into their house.

"Good Godric, you scared the living daylights out of me!"

The man standing in her living room looked up, smirk on his face. "You're fairly easily scared, for a Gryffindor."

She scowled. "Don't even get me started, Smith. What are you doing here, anyway?"

He sighed, rolling his eyes. "Hannah wants me to check your sink or something. She says it's broken, but doesn't know why."

The tone of his voice suggested he was getting a bit tired of being constantly summoned there too.

"I'm sure we can figure it out on our own, thanks."

"No, no, Zach's really good with these things," Hannah explained, bustling into the room. "Come through here, it's in the kitchen."

Not tired enough to not be smug when he was invited into Ginny's house without her permission, apparently. Ginny felt her blood boil at the look he gave her.

She ignored it though, going about her day off as she usually would. Listening to the radio and reading magazines.

"Ginny, I have to leave for a couple hours, you'll look after Zach for me, won't you?"

"I'm not a child, Han!"

Ginny looked up, shaking her head wildly.

"Please?" Hannah whispered, moving closer to her. "He'll just be in the next room. You don't need to do anything. Just if he needs help, help him."

"He's your guest!"

"I forgot that I had an appointment, though. I'll be back soon."

"In a couple hours!"

Hannah smiled as best she could. "That's not too long! Pav is around the house somewhere."

"I am so not happy about this."

"Thank you!" Hannah grinned, placing a kiss on Ginny's head. "I owe you."

"You owe me big time."

"I'm off, Zach! Ginny's just in the living room if you need any help!"

There was an unimpressed grunt in response.

"Bye guys! Have fun!"

Ginny stared at the door as it shut, shaking her head. "What is up with Hannah recently…"

There was a loud bang from in the kitchen. She didn't trust him. She was off the sofa in a matter of seconds.

"What is going on?" she asked, getting into the doorway. Her breath caught in her throat at the sight she was greeted with. "Why aren't you wearing a shirt?"

"I don't know what the fuck you've been pouring down your sink, but it does not want to come off my trousers. That is my favourite shirt. I am not risking it."

Ginny looked at his trousers, seeing a large, black stain on the thigh. "Why is this taking so long? Isn't it a simple reparo?"

He pulled his head out from under the cupboard, wiping his brow. "It's not broken, it's clogged. It needs un-clogging. With this shit that doesn't want to be cleaned or vanished with a spell. I'm very close to just taking the pipe out."

"Let me see," Ginny demanded, pushing him out the way and ducking down under the sink. Looking down the pipe he'd opened, she saw exactly what he was talking about. And it confused the hell out of her. "That's one of my brother's products, from the joke shop. Why's that in our pipes?"

Zach groaned. "I hate your brother so much. The amount of his bloody products I have to deal with on a day to day basis."

"Why do you have to deal with them?"

"I'm a Hogwarts Professor," he explained. "Shit happens; kids think they can get away with all sorts. Move out the way, I think I know what'll work."

Ginny felt her breath get caught in her throat. He was a Professor. He worked with her mystery man.

"What's going on in here-oh, hello Zach," Ginny turned round to see Parvati standing in the doorway, looking Smith up and down. "Are you our new handy-man?"

He smirked at her, happy for a reason to ignore the redhead next to him probably. "Are you complaining?"

"Certainly not, if you go around our house all the time with no shirt."

"Can we stop talking about-!" Ginny cut herself off, feeling her face heat up slightly. "And get back to the matter at hand here?"

"I'd much rather talk about Zach being shirtless."

"You're disgusting, Pav."

"Oh please, Gin, tell me that you don't find that attractive."

Ginny growled, trying desperately not to blush. "I am trying to help him fix the sink!"

"I thought not."

"I don't!"

"Liar liar pants on fire."

"Did you pour Weasley Products down our sink?"

"No, but I seem to remember Hannah playing with something in here the other day."

"Careful, it's about to-!"

Ginny let out a scream as something hot hit her back, darting out from under the sink. "It's burning!"

"Stay still, let me check it!"

"Get it off get it off get it off!"

"I can't if you're going to run around like a headless chicken!"

Parvati stepped forward, trying to take Ginny's hands. "Ginny, stay still!"

"Oh Merlin it hurts so much!"

"I can't get it off," Zach muttered, his hand on her back, wand against the black substance. "What on earth is this?"

Ginny felt tears starting to pool in her eyes, letting out a strangled sob. Parvati squeezed her hand, looking behind at Zach desperately.

He dropped his wand, grasping the hem of Ginny's shirt, and pulling it over her head, Parvati letting go of her hands as her arms were forced up, fabric blurring her vision for a moment as she stumbled back against Zach.

She let out a breath of relief when she realised it wasn't burning anymore, relaxing and wiping her eyes. When she opened them and saw Parvati covering her mouth with her hands and looking torn between thanking Zach and giggling, Ginny became aware of how he saved her. And that she was now leaning against him. And that she had no shirt on.

She darted behind Parvati, fixing Smith with a glare, using the darker woman to keep herself hidden. "You pervert!"

Zach dropped the piece of clothing, looking equally as embarrassed as she did. "I saved you!"

"That wasn't saving me!"

"I already told you that I couldn't get it off my trousers, what made you think I'd be able to get it off your shirt!"

"You didn't need to-to-_strip me_!"

Zach scoffed, picking up his wand and turning back to the sink. "Whatever."

Ginny huffed, trying to find something to say. She was speechless.

"Um, so do you think you can fix our sink, Zach?"

"If I don't have a troublesome woman screaming in my ear, sure."

"I didn't ask you to come here!" Ginny snapped.

"Yeah, and I didn't ask you to get in my way."

She stormed out, making a mental note to write a very angry letter to her brother, heading straight for her room. She didn't think she'd ever be able to live this down. Ever.

Luna blinked as Ginny stormed passed her on the stairs, narrowly avoiding being mowed down. It was probably best not to ask sometimes.

Ginny refused to talk to Hannah about what happened. When the blonde returned home, Zach had fixed the kitchen, and was just about to leave. The only thing stopping him was the fact he was getting friendly with Parvati by the fireplace. Ginny had only come back downstairs out of curiosity, wanting to know if the sink was fixed. Luna was wandering about too, which made it a little less awkward. Mainly because Luna was very good at taking attention off Ginny and onto herself. Especially when she tried convincing Zach to try her potion to get rid of the Rymas that could infect his belly button. That actually got rid of him quite fast.

When Hannah looked at Ginny who was lingering on the stairs, scowling and looking generally grumpy, she was wise enough not to ask.

Getting back to her room, Ginny prepared to go out and do some training, till she heard a beak knocking on her window. She rushed to open it, a smile blossoming on her face when she realised it was her reply. Maybe the day wasn't turning out to be so bad after all.

xXx

One week later exactly, coming down the stairs to the living room, Ginny was greeted by the sight of Ernie and Zach sitting on her living room floor, a children's game between them, pressing buttons madly to make their figurines attack each other, narrowly avoiding being hit by the tiny charms themselves. She was familiar with the game; her brothers loved it growing up. Couldn't for the life of her remember what it was called.

Turning as someone exited the kitchen, she saw Hannah with a tray of drinks, looking in a good mood herself.

"Ginny!" Hannah greeted, bright smile on her face. "Do you want a drink?"

There was a lull moment with the men, before Ernie cheered and Zach let out a groan, his head in his hands as he fell backwards. Ernie threw his hands into the air.

"I didn't think you were ever going to beat him," Hannah noted.

"Distraction is a man's worst enemy," Ernie explained "Especially when it comes in the form of a pretty girl."

Ginny rolled her eyes, ignoring the implication of that sentence. "Hello to you too, Ernie."

"Good afternoon, milady. Are you going to be joining us in our events for the day?"

"What are you all doing?"

Hannah rolled her eyes this time. "They want to go to a children's ball park."

"It's going to be fantastic. It's like a muggle play area, and has balls and guns and protective pads and a magic ban."

"And it's for children."

"Actually," Zach said, resting on his elbows. "It's designed for adults."

"Adults who want to act like children."

Ernie sighed, shaking his head. "No one's forcing you to join us, Hannah."

"Yeah, just 'cause you don't know what fun means."

Hannah turned to Ginny. "I'd really appreciated it if you came."

Ginny was caught. It sounded interesting, and she wanted to see it. But was she willing to hang out with Smith for a whole day to do it?

"We could invite Pav and Luna too!"

"Attacked by girls," Zach muttered, turning to Ernie, who pulled a face.

Ginny shrugged awkwardly, completely torn. "It does sound like fun."

Hannah squealed. "Yes! I was so worried, I just know they'd gang up on me if I didn't have someone to protect me."

"Now we'll just convince Ginny to gang up on you with us," Ernie grinned at the redhead. "You grew up with lots of brothers, didn't you? You're practically a boy."

Ginny looked behind her as she heard another person coming down the stairs. "Hey Parvati, you up to much today?"

"Not really. Was planning on getting some designing done. Why?"

"We're going to have an adventure!"

"Ernie! And Zach," Parvati rested her chin on Ginny's shoulder and sighed. "But he's fully dressed. I've lost all interest in whatever's going on here."

Ernie waggled his brows, turning to Zach. "Don't you know that Zachie-boy's spoken for, Parvati?"

"No!" she touched her hand to her brow. "Oh, tragedy! Since when?"

"I'm not," Zach said, sitting up properly. "Technically."

"Bullshit, you've got your little pen-pal girlfriend."

"She's not my girlfriend."

"Not yet. She would be if you had some balls."

Parvati pushed Ginny further into the room. "Tell me about her."

Hannah dropped her tray. "Whoops. My bad."

Ginny and Ernie rushed to help her, getting out their wands to clean up the mess.

Parvati frowned, planting her hands on her hips. "You've been acting real weird recently, Hannah."

"Don't know what you're talking about."

"Either way, do you want to come to the ball park thing, Pav?" Ginny asked, trying to move the conversation on. She doubted Hannah wanted attention for this. "It'll be fun!"

"And if you come I'll have less of a reason to be in Ginny's vicinity."

The redhead shot Zach a dirty look.

"As tempting as that sounds, I think I'll pass. Designs, remember?"

"Do you know where Luna is?"

"I think she's out with that girl she met, at the thing."

Hannah spoke up again before any questions could be asked. "Just the four of us then! Come on, it'll be fun! I'd appreciate it if you both got on for a day."

Ginny exchanged a look with Zach.

"I guess, for you," Ginny said, attention back on Hannah. "I'd be willing."

"Yes! Okay, seeing as the drinks are…well…maybe we should head off now?"

Ernie helped Zach up, the blond running a hand through his hair. "I'm going to stop off at home first, check for mail-don't even start, Ernie."

Parvati giggled. "Hope she's written to you."

"Thanks."

"We'll meet you there," Hannah said, linking her arm with Ginny's. "Are you going with Zach, Ernie?"

"No, I'll come with you. Last thing I want to see if Zach mooning over-!"

"We get it, Ernie. Where's your floo powder, Hannah?"

"Maybe you should apparate?" she suggested quickly. "Or we should go first. Parvati, you can help Zach, right?" she grasped Ernie and Ginny's hands, giving Ernie a hard look. "Let's go. Now."

Ernie gave her a strange look, but did as she asked.

"I guess it's not so strange for people to have pen-pals they're romantically involved with, Hannah," Ginny said triumphantly.

The man raised a brow. "You have one too, Ginny?"

"Yes, and Hannah disapproves."

"I don't disapprove," she defended. "I just think you shouldn't get too attached until you meet him. Neville agrees with me."

"I think you're keeping something from me."

"I don't know what you're talking about," Hannah snapped. "Are we here to grill me or have fun?"

There was a crack next to them, and the three turned to see Zach standing slightly closer to the entrance.

"Right, let's get inside, shall we?" Hannah grinned, pushing Ginny and Ernie forward. "I'm looking forward to this now!"

Ginny made sure to stand on the other end to Zach, glad for Hannah and Ernie between them. She didn't really expect what was in the building. Though she didn't really know what to expect in the first place. Bright colours, flashing lights, and lots of noise. It was like some kind of carnival, but with padding and nets and brightly coloured balls.

"This is going to be immense," Ernie stated.

Ginny couldn't help but nod in agreement. "What are they made out of?"

"Like plastic, but nothing inside, so they're really light."

"Right," Hannah took charge. "Let's get our tickets and stuff, and then get going."

They weren't kidding when they said there'd be pads. And a suit to put over their clothes.

"Why do we need all of this again?" Ginny asked, suspicious look on her face. She wasn't sure if she should be scared or not by the look the boys shared.

Hannah groaned. "More paint?"

"Paint?"

"Get ready for fun," Ernie said, stepping through a tunnel that required him to get on his hands and knees.

Ginny definitely hadn't been expecting some kind of obstacle course.

When they got out of the tunnel Hannah let out a shriek as she was hit by a pellet, bursting and marking her jacket blue, running after Ernie as fast as she could. Ginny followed, beginning to feel the adrenaline rush that she loved from Quidditch, a bright smile on her face as she found herself going down a slide stained with paint into a large pit of those plastic balls that she'd seen before.

They really were hollow. And very light.

And this place was huge.

Time found Hannah the weakest victim, the girl falling through a trap door as they were crossing one section of the obstacle course, Zach urging Ginny onwards, assuring her that Hannah was perfectly safe. Though now there wasn't anyone standing between her and Zach. That wasn't on the forefront of her mind as there was a machine shooting those little plastic balls at them, not something that would hurt, but definitely something that might make you lose balance. As Ernie so skilfully demonstrated, falling off the bridge and into the pit below.

"Just us now," she could hear the smirk in Zach's voice.

"I better watch my back," she shot. "Wouldn't put it past you to resort to dirty tactics."

"Don't know what you're talking about."

They exited the bridge to wind up in a room that had two paint guns hovering in the air, waiting for them. Ginny felt a wicked smirk spreading across her face.

For once she had a perfectly reasonable excuse for shooting him in the face.

xXx

Ginny frowned as she stepped out of the range, seeing Hannah and Ernie whispering away, glancing across at Ginny and Zach. She stopped, watching them for a few moments as Hannah whispered, her gossip face on, Ernie looking stunned.

"What, you forget how to move your feet?"

"Shut up," Ginny snapped. "Look at them. They're talking about us."

Zach also frowned, looking at the pair. Ernie glanced towards them, immediately grasping Hannah's arm as he spotted them looking. Hannah turned, her mouth clamping shut, tense as her eyes snapped between Zach and Ginny.

"They are," Zach agreed. "What's going on? Is this to do with why Hannah's been acting all weird?"

"We should ask," Ginny grasped Zach's arm, dragging him forward. "Come on."

"Is that a-!"

"Come _on_."

The two came to a stop opposite Hannah and Ernie, Hannah looking like she'd been caught red-handed, Ernie recovered and composed, a smile on his face. "Hey, have fun slaughtering each other?"

"You were acting suspicious," Ginny stated. "Why were you acting suspicious?"

"Haven't got a clue what you're talking about."

"You were whispering and acting suspicious! And looking at us, like you were whispering about us!"

"Don't be ridiculous, Hannah was just concerned that you weren't getting along, that's all," Ernie patted Hannah on the back. "Isn't that right?"

"Yes!" she jumped on that idea. "I was! But you are, so all's good."

Ginny's eyes narrowed.

"Who's up for pizza?"

Zach completely forgot what they were doing. "I am always up for food."

"Smith, focus here! More important things than your stomach!"

"Nothing's more important than my stomach."

"You're such a bloke."

"Thanks for noticing," Zach turned back to Hannah. "Pizza then?"

She grinned. "Yes, pizza! Let's go!"

Hannah's weirdness was something that Ginny managed to mostly phase out for the rest of the day, Ernie back to his usual self, quite happy to joke around with Zach. She found it quite easy to let herself get caught up a little in their excitement. She definitely saw the appeal of hanging about shooting each other with children's toys all day. It was a hell of a lot more fun than being subject to Parvati's design schemes. Time flew by, and she felt kind of upset when Hannah eventually rounded them up and told them it was time to leave.

So did the boys, apparently, as they started pelting her with balls.

Getting back into the flat, Parvati was sat in the living room, her papers and designs and portfolio spread out across the table. She looked up, grin splitting her face as she saw them all. "You look like you had fun."

"It was incredible. So much fun."

"They attacked me!" Hannah whined, despite the smile on her face. "And Ginny just stood by and laughed!"

Ginny began giggling again at the memory.

"Oh, you poor girl you," Parvati teased lightly. "Will the boys be staying for dinner?"

"Nah, I'm off out for dinner," Ernie explained, glancing at Zach.

The man looked like he wasn't expecting being asked without Ernie. "I'm not staying for dinner."

"Nicely put."

"Thank you, but I'm off," Zach headed towards the fireplace, reaching up for the floopowder.

Hannah's face went pale. "No! You can't floo!"

"Not this again."

"No, really! There's been a problem with our fireplace!" Hannah insisted, shaking her head wildly. "You should apparate!"

"There is nothing wrong with your fireplace, we arrived fine, I am not apparating that far," Zach stated, rolling his eyes and taking the floo powder. "I also flooed home earlier from your fireplace, and nothing went wrong. Stop being so weird."

"Maybe it was just luck?"

Zach gave her an unconvinced look. "Best cross your fingers then," he threw down the powder, shouting out his address.

Hannah went still, staring into the empty fireplace, Ernie awkwardly hovering next to her, trying not to glance at Ginny. Ginny who still was kind of confused, and Parvati who was definitely confused.

"Well, I'm off too, see you all later."

"Bye, Ernie," Ginny waved, Parvati saying her own goodbyes as he disappeared.

Hannah still stood silently.

Parvati was the first to break the silence. "Seriously, Han, what's going on? There is nothing wrong with our fireplace."

The blonde shifted uncomfortably, looking everywhere except Ginny. "I was just worried that Ginny would recognise the address, that's all."

Ginny frowned in response. "It's familiar, sure."

"You-you don't know where from?"

"Not that I can remember."

Hannah finally looked at her. "Are you sure?"

"Yes, I'm sure! Does this have something to do with why you've been all weird?"

She paused. She nodded.

"Want to explain yourself?"

"You find nothing weird here?" Hannah asked. "Familiar address, of Zach who's a Professor at Hogwarts, and is kind of sarcastic and enjoys mocking things? This isn't ringing any bells?"

Parvati gasped, clasping her hands over her mouth. "No."

Hannah nodded.

"What? I still don't get it," Ginny glanced between them.

"Professor who's sarcastic and mocks things whose address you know," Parvati gave her a dead serious look, getting up in her personal space "Who else do you know who's a Professor?"

"I don't know. My pen-pal?"

"And what does your pen-pal enjoy doing?"

Ginny gave an awkward laugh, pushing Parvati away. "Don't be so insane. It's not Smith. I despise Smith. Hannah saw…" she trailed off, turning to Hannah. "You saw him. He left with you."

"Gin, I'm sorry I didn't say anything, I just-you were so happy! And it's been so long since you've been willing to really get to know someone you're interested in, and-!" she cut herself off again, lost for words. "I'm sorry."

"It was Smith?"

"It was. That was what I was going to tell you when you left. He'd gone there with Ernie. Ernie was the one who told me about it in the first place."

Ginny felt faint.

"Woah, steady on there girl," Parvati took hold of Ginny's shoulders. "You enjoyed your day with him today, didn't you?"

The redhead spluttered, blushing violently. "What? Enjoyed-that's a strong word! That's, I mean, pushing it a little, you know? I enjoyed my day, but I don't think it was the company that made the difference there."

"I was hoping that maybe having you spend time with him would help you like him more," Hannah explained. "Then it wouldn't be such a shock when you found out."

"I hate him."

Hannah shook her head. "No! You really like your Professor! You're constantly writing to him, and you saw what Zach was like when Ernie was teasing him about his pen-pal. He really likes you too!"

"That was before I found out that he was the biggest dick I've ever met!"

"He's changed, since we were at school! Oh, please Ginny, give him a chance!" Hannah begged, grasping her hands. "Go out with him, for coffee or something. Try to ignore what he was like at school. Think of the person you met at the blind dates!"

"No one changes that much."

"I think Hannah's right," Parvati never looked so serious. "You should give him a chance."

"What?!"

"He has changed. I like him now. So does Neville, they get on."

"Yes, but you two are bewitched to his spell."

"Go write to him. Suggest you meet up."

"Does he know?" Ginny turned to Hannah. "Does he know it's me?"

She shook her head. "No. I talked to Ernie about it. He doesn't know it's you."

Ginny ran a hand through her hair.

"If you don't give him a chance and stop writing to him then he'll be heartbroken!"

"Since when did I care whether or not Smith was heartbroken?"

Hannah gave her the biggest puppy dog eyes she could muster. "I care."

"Oh for fuck's sake."

Parvati jumped on the bandwagon. "He's our friend, Ginny. You're not going to be so cruel to someone we care about, are you?"

"He-he's an asshole!"

"We still like him," Hannah persisted. "I don't want to see my classmate, one of my oldest friends heartbroken because you wouldn't give him a second chance."

"Where's your Gryffindor spirit? Your chivalry?"

They were ganging up on her and it wasn't fair.

"Fine, I'll write to him!" Ginny snapped. "But one wrong move and I'm going to hex him into next week."

This was a terrible idea.

Hannah threw her arms around the redhead, crushing her with a hug. "Thank you! Thank you so much!"

Parvati's seriousness turned into something more akin with perversion. "Just think of how sexy he was half naked in our kitchen."

"Oh my goodness, I told you never to talk about that again!" Ginny snapped, face flaming and storming from the room. "Do not push me!"

She could hear the older girl's laughter all the way to her room.

xXx

Writing that owl had never been so hard. She didn't know if she should say who she was, or where they should suggest they meet. She almost felt guilty to say nothing to prepare him for what he might feel when he saw it was her. As far as she was aware, he hated her just as much as she hated him, and it was not a pleasant shock to find out who he was. It wouldn't be for him either. Not that she cared about whether or not he had a pleasant shock.

She let out a sigh, running a hand through her hair. This was so confusing. Having feelings for her mystery man, who turned out to be Smith, who she did not have feelings for, other than feelings of hate. She wasn't entirely sure what to feel.

This was taking forever. There was no way to phrase this. She could only show it.

Giving her owl a note that instructed her Professor to be ready for her in ten minutes, she set about getting ready, hoping that he wouldn't be busy. She didn't think she'd have the courage to do this another day. She changed twice before she settled on simple muggle clothes, unsure whether they'd be going to somewhere in the wizarding world, or the muggle one, or just staying at his place.

The last one made her flush slightly. Definitely not that.

"Right," she glanced at the window as the owl returned, walking over and taking the reply. He would be there. Was she ready to go?

Did it really matter if she wasn't?

Walking down the stairs, she saw Parvati and Hannah sitting on the sofa, Luna with them most likely being briefed on the situation. All three turned to look at her when she moved to stand in front of the fireplace, Hannah nervous, Parvati giving her a wink, Luna being Luna.

"Here I go," she murmured, stepping into the fireplace. "Wish me luck."

Three smiles gave her all the strength she needed to throw down the floo powder. Three smiles that changed into two grown men in a living room that looked very unlike her own.

The heated discussion they'd been having stopped as soon as she appeared, both turning to her, waiting in silence as she stepped out the fireplace. She glanced between them, Ernie backing down, reluctance on his face, Zach staring on confused.

"What are you doing here?"

"Such a nice greeting," Ginny could almost hear the tremor in her voice. "You did agree to have me after all."

"I do not remember agreeing to have you."

Ernie ran a hand through his hair. "I'm going to head off."

"We're not finished."

"We are," Ernie gestured to Ginny. "Your guest is here."

"This isn't my guest."

Ginny took the note out of her pocket, holding it out for Zach. "Here. Proof."

Zach glanced between the note and her, taking it from her with a shaking hand. He seemed to stare at it for hours.

"Wonderful to see you, Ginny. I best be heading off."

"Sure thing, see you later, Ernie."

He nodded, moving past Zach and squeezing his shoulder lightly, before vanishing from the room. Time dragged on.

"Red?"

She gave a nervous laugh as Zach finally looked up at her. "Yeah, that's me," she paused. "Professor."

"You were the friend Hannah dragged along."

She nodded.

"I should've known. I should've put two and two together."

"In all fairness, there were a lot of people at that thing that could've been dragged along."

Zach moved to sit down on his sofa, a stunned look on his face. "You're Red."

"We've covered that one."

Maybe it was in something that she said, or the tone in which she said it, but he suddenly jumped up from couch, shoving the note back into her hands, shaking his head venomously. "I can't do this."

"What?"

"The floopowder's on the mantle," he turned so she couldn't see his face, though his shoulders were tense. "I trust you know the way home."

"Aren't we going to talk about this?"

"What's there to talk about?" his voice was cold and unforgiving.

She felt anger beginning to boil inside her. "How about-?!"

"I told you to leave," he turned, face unreadable despite the scowl. "I didn't think you'd need to be told twice."

"Excuse me, I came here to talk to you about this like a mature adult!"

"I know exactly what you came here to do. And I-!" he choked off. "Leave."

Ginny felt her face twist with anger, questioning why she ever came, the words she bit out never so true. "I hate you."

She was gone in a matter of seconds, watching his face flicker away in the flames.

She pretended she didn't see him crumble to his knees.

It wasn't until she was back in her own living room, stumbling out of the fireplace, that she noticed she was crying. Had she been when she left Zach's flat? Hannah, Parvati, and Luna were still all sat on the sofa, the latter shooting to her feet to grasp Ginny's shoulders.

The redhead pushed her away, walking as quickly as she could towards the stairs. She just wanted to be alone.

She ignored Parvati shouting after her, ignored the sound of the flames burning, the sound of light footsteps running around the house. She felt the wood of her door against her back, locked in the safety of her room, note burning in her fingers. She pulled it as hard as she could, ripping it in half, doing it again, and again, and again, before dropping it to the floor and heading straight to her bed.

She wanted to sleep.

xXx

It was a week before Luna approached her about it. Hannah hadn't really been about much, most likely trying to sort it out with Zach, while Parvati had been bugging her nonstop without pause. But she suddenly stopped, and Ginny thought that it was going to be okay. She thought that they were finally going to let it go and she could put this whole thing behind her. Until Luna knocked on her door.

"Hey, what's up?" Ginny asked, not really expecting the blond to have much to say about the situation she was no longer in.

"I have this," Luna said, holding a large box in her arms, shuffling into the room while holding it. "From Zacharias' house."

Ginny paused. "What?"

"I went to Zacharias' house to see if I could help you, and I found this. It's from you."

The redhead took the box, staring down at it in wonder. "From me?"

"Your letters," Luna explained, before she turned to leave.

"Did you steal this, Luna?"

"No, you're borrowing it."

Really, Ginny didn't think that she'd ever get used to Luna's actions and quirks. She stared in stunned silence for a while at the door which Luna had left from, before putting the box down on her table, trying to decide what to do with it.

Damn it. This meant she had to give it back. Did Luna even think about that when she took it from his house?

Curiosity got the better of her and she opened it, trying to figure out what 'your letters' meant. She should've guessed, really. Picking up the first on in awe, she read through it, identifying her own handwriting straight away. It was all her letters. All the letters she'd written to him. In a box. He'd kept them.

She sat down on the chair, reading through them one by one, remembering how she felt when writing each. She was smitten. In her writing, so was so obviously smitten. She was having fun, and enjoying herself, and enjoying the replies. She'd written that she 'couldn't wait for his letter back', something she remembered also because he'd purposefully taken his time to reply to tease her.

She really cared for the man she had been writing to. The man who hadn't known who she was. Who had been as sincere as she had been. That man was Smith. He was everything Smith had become since leaving school.

Putting the letters back in the box, she got her serious face on and put them to one side, whipping out her quill and parchment, hearing her owl squawk from its cage in response. She was a woman on a mission.

And he wasn't getting his letters back until she had her reply.

This time she didn't think about what she was writing. She didn't care about how he was going to respond to it. She just wrote what she needed to say. If he wasn't going to listen to what she had to say, then maybe he'd read it. If he was going to keep all of her letters, then he surely wasn't as angry as she thought, was he? You wouldn't do something so sentimental if you didn't care. She wanted to know why he'd thrown her out. Why he'd been such a dick. She wanted answers, and she wanted him to hear her out.

By the time she'd finished it she'd written more than she probably needed to, but she didn't care. Folding it into an envelope she gave it to her owl, hoping that he wouldn't send it back without reading it.

She paused, changing her mind. He needed to read it.

"Luna!" she called, rushing into the hallway. "Luna, can I borrow your owl?"

The former Ravenclaw wandered into the hall, cage in hand. Her owl was tiny. "Here you are."

"Thanks," Ginny gave the owl the letter, instructing it on where to go. Luna was happy to send it out her window.

Now it was a matter of waiting. A matter of sitting in her living room looking miserable while staring at their fireplace trying to distract herself with a magazine. It wasn't really working.

"Ginny!" the redhead turned to see Hannah entering the house. "I was thinking we could all go out tonight, girl's night out kind of thing."

"I'm busy."

Hannah's face dropped. "Oh. What are you doing?"

"I'm waiting for Smith."

"You-you're what?"

"I wrote to him. Now I'm waiting."

Luna drifted into the room, smile on her face. "Welcome home, Hannah."

"Have you gotten a reply?"

"No, not yet, though my owl returned without the letter."

Ginny sighed, running a hand through her hair.

"What's going on?" Hannah asked slowly, glancing between her housemates.

"I found a box in Zacharias's house that I thought Ginny might like to have."

Hannah took a few moments to absorb it. "You stole from Zach?"

"And technically broke into his house," Ginny added.

Luna seemed unfazed.

"And what's this about you writing him a letter?"

"Well when I went to see him he threw me out before I had a chance to say anything, so I thought I'd write him a letter."

"Right," Hannah put her bag and keys down, sitting on the sofa next to Ginny. "How long ago was that?"

"About an hour and a half ago."

"You've been sat here for an hour and a half?"

"Pretty much."

Hannah turned to look at Luna, unsure whether she should be exasperated or not. Luna smiled dreamily in response.

"Do you want me to wait with you?" she asked. "Rather than just being sat here on your own?"

"Sure, if you want."

Luna moved to sit next to them on the sofa, the three girls staring at the fireplace, expressions of determination, hope and fear, and contentment on their faces.

The door opened again and Parvati stepped in. "Hey guys, what you all doing here looking all glum?"

"We're waiting for Zach," Hannah explained. "We've been waiting for two hours-well, Ginny's been waiting for two hours, we've only been here for half an hour."

Parvati rolled her eyes and marched towards the fireplace. "Honestly."

"What are you doing?"

"I'm going to get him! Two hours, you're such a bunch of pansies."

"Last time I went in there he shouted at me and threw me out!" Ginny defended.

There was a look of pure, solid, unarguable defiance on Parvati's face. "He's not going to throw me out."

They waited with their breaths held as Parvati vanished into green flames, sitting on the edge of their seats, Luna watching with quiet interest. Why did time always have to go so slowly?

"Do you think she'll get him?" Hannah asked, voice barely above a whisper. Ginny was too busy wondering why she was so eager for Parvati to succeed.

After a few more moments of silence where hope began to seep, Hannah let out a yelp of surprise as the fire flared, two people stepping through, one dragging the other by his collar.

"Here," Parvati said, smug look on her face. "I got him."

"Let go of me, woman," Zach snapped, brushing her hand from his clothing, patting himself down. "I told you-!"

"Hannah, Luna," Parvati held out a hand to each girl, ignoring Zach completely. "Shall we go get something to eat?"

Luna nodded and stood, taking Parvati's hand. Hannah was much more reluctant.

"Its okay, Han," Ginny patted her arm. "I'll see you later."

Nodding, the blonde stood and joined her housemates, heading to the kitchen.

"So," Ginny clapped her hands together. "Thanks for coming."

"I didn't exactly have a choice."

She tried her best to remember the letters in her room. And that she shouldn't hex him. "Did you get my letter?"

He hesitated for a moment, before nodding.

"Did you read it?"

He nodded again.

"Well, if you want to see your stash again, then you best give me a response, seeing as they're locked in my room and you're not getting them till I decide you deserve them."

"That's stealing."

"I didn't take them," Ginny replied. "Luna did. She just dropped them in my room."

"Also intruding then."

She gave him a hard look. He sighed and sat on a couch, avoiding eye contact.

They sat in an awkward silence for a while.

"Are you going to say anything?"

"What do you want me to say?" he snapped back.

"I want to know why you threw me out," keep calm, Ginny. Keep calm. "How about you start there?"

He bit down on his bottom lip, hands clutched together. His voice was quiet and reluctant when he finally spoke, but it didn't hide the fear. "You were going to break it off."

What?

"Ernie and I had been arguing. He found out that I agreed to let you come round. He said that I shouldn't have. That it was too early. Which I thought was weird, seeing as he'd been encouraging me to ask you out, and then you walked through the fireplace, and showed me the note, and I got it," Zach grimaced. "He knew it was you. Hannah had told him."

"I wasn't-!"

"You hate me. Sure, you might like who you were owling, but you hate me."

"Don't interrupt!" she snapped, fixing him with a glare. He scowled back. "I liked who I was owling, yes. I liked my Professor, liked the man I met at that dating-thing. He was funny, and kind of sweet I guess, and sarcastic, and a little bit egoistical, but hey, we all have flaws," she paused, trying to stop herself from feeling a little embarrassed. He waited. "But that person was you. It was you, but without the history we have. Without me knowing what a complete and utter twat you were at school."

"Thanks."

"And I liked you," she shook her head. "I do like you. That's why I wrote that owl. Why I asked you to come back, and apologised for not thinking clearly about what I was doing. Why I asked for a second chance," looking up at him, she felt her cheeks heating up at the look on his face. "Because I'm giving you one."

"Are you asking me out?"

"I guess."

Zach raised his brows, looking down at the floor. "Wow."

"Wow what?"

"I just-I never thought I'd hear Ginny Weasley asking me out."

"Well, I never thought I'd ever ask Zacharias Smith out in the first place, if that makes it any better."

A lazy smirk crossed his face. "No, you're much better at flying your broom into me."

"Don't make me regret this."

"What kind of twat would I be if I didn't?"

"Second chance already started and you're very close to blowing it."

Zach stood, Ginny doing the same automatically, waiting in her spot as he moved towards her. She tried to deny the smile that threatened her when his hand slipped in hers.

Suddenly the fear was back in his eyes, no matter how much he tried to hide it, and he refused to look at her. "I'd like a second chance. I'd like to try this."

She squeezed the hand lightly. "You sure you're not going to back down, get a little bit chicken on me?"

"When have you known me to be a chicken?"

"Well-!"

"That was a rhetorical question," he said, holding up his free hand to cut her off. "Please don't answer it."

She smirked, looking up at him through her lashes. "So, Professor, what do we do now?"

"Let's see," he looked over her head. "I do believe your housemates are nosy buggers who are listening in to our conversation, so it would be rude not to give them what they want."

"And what is it they want?"

She couldn't deny that she loved the way he started smiling when she stepped closer to him.

"Not sure. They're your housemates."

"Well," she started, tugging at the fastenings of his robes. "I do need to give you your letters back, seeing as I guess it would be rude not to."

"It would be."

"So I suppose you'll have to come up and get them. They're far too heavy for me to carry by myself."

"You did write a lot of them, you crazed groupie you."

She smirked up at him again. "What did I say about being close to blowing it?"

"Lead the way, Weasley."

xXx

_Well wasn't that fun? The title is just like a total flail. I'm so bad with titles. I hate them so much. They should go burn in the fiery pits of hell. Though it was certainly fun to write! I totally should've just written a fanfic for my nanowrimo, I've ended up writing more of this than I have of that in less time. Oh, such is life. Cry, cry, cry. _

_So yes! Happy Birthday Ruth, hope you have a wonderful day (thankfully not a school day), and I hope you enjoy your gift (even if it is long). Lots of Love! _

_Thanks_

_~ Kivea R. _


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